INTERNATIONAL PLANT GROWTH EXPERIMENT

Transcription

1 INTERNTIONL PLNT GROWTH EXPERIMENT Guide for Teachers and Students This manual was created by students in partnership with the USU ollege of Education, USU enter for ivic Engagement and Service Learning, USU STRS! GER UP, and the Space Dynamics Laboratory. Version.0 Updated February 01

2 TLE OF ONTENTS ackground 1 Overview 1 Selecting Growth hamber Planting and Setup uilding the Planters Labeling the Planters Planting Required Planting Materials aseline Parameters Planting the Radish Seeds Setting Up the Growth hamber Plant Maintenance Plant are Thinning the Plants Recording and Reporting Findings 5 Reporting Templates and Tools 5 Required Measurements 5 Recording Hypotheses 5 Recording Plant Thinning 5 Reporting Findings to SDL 5 ppendix 6 uilding a Plant Growth hamber 6 Growth hamber Option. Rocket Design 7 Materials Needed 7 uilding the Rocket hamber 7 Growth hamber Option. Rectangular ox Design 10 Materials Needed 10 uilding the Rectangle ox hamber 10 Radish Harvest Protocol 1 Daily Data Report 1 i

3 KGROUND ongratulations! You and your students are about to participate in a plant growth research project along with the Space Dynamics Laboratory (SDL), Utah State University (USU), and teachers and students throughout the United States, Russia, and Japan. In 01, the US and Japan had the opportunity to place seeds aboard the Russian ion-m1 spacecraft to study the radiation effects that space flight has on the seeds. This is similar to the plant growth research partnership between the US, Russia, and Japan on the International Space Station (ISS). On the ISS, long term experiments test the effects of low gravity and space radiation on plant growth and seed re-germination. The ion experiments are launched into orbit in pressurized satellites similar to the Russian Soyuz capsule. The pressurized satellites orbit the Earth for 0 to 5 days before returning to the Earth. When a capsule returns to Earth, the experiments are collected for analysis. The space-exposed seeds for these experiments flew on the ion-m1 mission in May 01. For this project, students will be comparing the growth of seeds exposed to space radiation (space-based) to seeds not exposed to space radiation (land-based). OVERVIEW Each site will receive two groups of radish seeds: 1) seeds flown on ion-m1 and ) seeds that were not flown in space. Teams will follow the procedures in this manual for planting and measurement. This will allow comparison across schools and provide the information necessary to answer student hypotheses. Participating in the experiment is easy and fun! Simply follow the steps outlined in this guide, which are: 1. Select a growth chamber; if constructing one, choose a design and follow the instructions in the ppendix. Plant the seeds and finalize the growth chamber setup. are for plants. Record and report your findings Students will work in teams to record the results to share with SDL and USU STRS! GER UP. Each school will send data and reports to the SDL. ll school results will be posted on the SDL website at to enable comparison across schools. Throughout the project, radish-growing teams will receive updates from the latest ion mission. Students may also have the opportunity to Skype other schools in the US, Russia, and Japan to compare results. Please contact SDL with any questions at outreach@sdl.usu.edu. To participate in this experiment, you will need a good team, the materials identified in this guide, a growing location, a data tracking plan, thoughtful hypotheses, and a sense of adventure. Team: Materials: Location: Data Tracking Plan: Hypotheses: Sense of dventure: n adult experiment leader and students gathered in a science class, school club (before, during, or after school), etc. The experiment leader can be a teacher, volunteer, or other adult willing to commit to guiding students for the duration of the project. Some materials will be provided by SDL and others will need to be obtained by the experiment leader who can use existing or newly purchased items. SDL-provided Materials: Seeds, medium, fertilizer, planters, and a growth chamber. (Note: If not using an SDL-provided growth chamber, the team can build their own growth chamber (see ppendix) Team-provided Materials: Measuring devices, water, lights, electric timer for the lights, and data recording tools. safe space where the plants can grow for 5 to 5 days without being disturbed. The location must include electricity for a growth light that will operate on a -hour timer. ommon locations include a classroom or library space. Plants should sprout within - days after planting and will grow very quickly for a few weeks. The data tracking plan should include who is responsible for recording data every day and should indicate that each student is trained to use the materials properly. It might help to have a back-up plan if a student recorder is absent. y creating hypotheses before the experiment and checking them after the experiment, you can improve student learning. omparing hypotheses and data logs across schools also shows whether participation in plant growing experiments influence student learning. s an additional option, your team may participate in a survey regarding student and educator learning. Please contact the USU STRS! GER UP team if you are interested in this opportunity krista.gurko@usu.edu. Remember that this is an experiment conducted at multiple schools to compare the range of results. Each school will likely have a varying inputs for watering and temperature and a range of outcomes in terms of plant growth and harvest. Recording the data consistently and recording findings will help determine possible reasons for differences and similarities. Photos and student drawings will be valuable to log the growth progress. 1

4 SELETING GROWTH HMER There are three possible growth chamber options for this experiment: ) Rocket design; team constructed, ) Rectangular box design; team constructed, and ) MicroLada chamber; SDL-provided. ppendix Rocket Design (See pages 7-9) ox Design (See pages ) MicroLD Kit (Provided when available) Select which chamber design option your team will be using, then, based on your selection, follow the appropriate instructions below: If you selected a growth chamber that requires construction, please follow the construction instructions for your selected option ( or ) located in the ppendix. Once you have constructed your growth chamber and collected other key components (light, planting containers, watering pan, etc.), proceed to the next section. If you are using an SDL-provided MicroLada growth chamber kit, then proceed to the next section. PLNTING ND SETUP Once you have your growth chamber, it is time to label your planters and plant the radish seeds. Obtaining a Watering Pan Purchase or find a X cm (9 x 9 in) foil pan or similar to use as the watering pan. uilding the Planters To build the planters: 1. ut 6 small 0.5 l (16 oz) soda or water bottles in half, approximately 0 cm ( in) from the bottom. The bottom half will be used as our plant containers.. Drill four small holes, 0. cm (0.15 in) diameter each, in the bottom of each container. Labeling the Planters efore planting, you need to label your planters. This can be done with anything that will stay in place, such as a permanent marker or paper with tape or glue. 1. Gather the planters and all the materials you need for labeling.. Examine your 6 planting planters and ensure that everything is the same to eliminate variables that could affect the growth (example: shape, width, height, or diameter of planters).. Label the front of each of the 6 planters. Use three planters for space-based seeds and three planters for land-based seeds. Each planter should be labeled to show the type of seed and which planter. Follow this format: for space-based use: S-, S-, S- and for land-based use: L-, L-, and L-. These labels need to be permanently on the planter (using permanent marker, tape, or glue). onsistent placement in the growth chamber increases accuracy and makes data collection easier.. On a separate piece of paper, draw a diagram of each of the planters. You will use this in the next step, to plan where the seeds will be planted. This diagram will also be used throughout the data collection process. Land ased 1 L- Land-based 1 L- Land-based 1 L- Land-based Space ased 1 S- Space-based 1 S- Space-based 1 S- Space-based

5 Planting efore you begin planting, read through the Required Planting Materials and aseline Parameters sections below to ensure that you have what you need. When you have all the materials, gather students who are ready to plant, involving them in the process either as planters or observers of the process. It is a good idea to take pictures of your progress and log the dates. Required Planting Materials efore you begin planting, ensure you have the following materials: Planting environment: Growth chamber (MicroLada or a team constructed chamber), watering pan, planting containers (6 soda/water 0.5 liter bottles or equivalent) Lighting: LED ~15W (75W equivalent) daylight floodlight bulb, a power source, a method of placing the light above the growth chamber (light fixture without a shade or reflector, etc.), and a hour timer Medium (soil): mixture of equal parts peat moss and vermiculite Fertilizer: 1 g of fertilizer for every 75 g of medium. NOTE: SDL uses the brand Osmocote or Nutricote. You may use something similar, as long as it has fast growing release (~100 days). If using a different fertilizer, note the name and growing release information in your data log before you begin monitoring. Seeds: 19 radish seeds NOTE: You will receive 10 space-based seeds that were flown on ion-m1 and 9 land-based seeds. You will have one extra space-based seed in case you lose one. Water: Potable water dditional tools: Measuring cup, thermometer, ruler, electric timer for lighting NOTE: ll sites will receive seeds from SDL. If using MicroLada, you will also receive the growth chamber, planters, watering pan, medium, and fertilizer. If you are building your own growth chamber, you may request the medium and fertilizer from SDL. aseline Parameters To establish a baseline some of the experimental parameters must be kept constant. The constants will include: Medium (soil) depth: approximately 10 cm ( in) Seed depth: 0.6 cm (0.5 in) Number of seeds in each planter: Temperature: Ideal growing temp -8º ( º F) Light duration: ~16 hrs of lighting each day In addition to the above constants, teams can investigate different variables. However, it would be best to change only one or two extra variables in a growth cycle to compare results. It is important to keep detailed records of the variable you choose. It is also important to keep everything (watering, lighting, temperature, etc.) consistent throughout a growth cycle. Planting the Radish Seeds To plant the radish seeds: 1. Uniformly mix the medium and the fertilizer together to create your soil. The medium is composed of equal parts peat moss and vermiculite. To add the fertilizer, add 1 g of fertilizer for every 75 g of medium.. Fill each planter with approximately 10 cm ( in) of soil mixture.. Using the S-_ and L-_ label locations as a guide, plant three seeds in each planter placing the spaced-based seeds in the planters labeled S and the land-based seeds in planters labeled L. Plant the seeds 0.6 cm (0.5 in) deep in each planter in a triangle formation; where there is one seed by the label and two other seeds equidistant from that seed. On the planting diagram, label these plants as 1,, and. onsistent notation will be important to log growth and deciding which two plants in each planter will be chosen to be removed midway through the growing cycle.. s each planter is planted and diagramed, place in the watering pan, with the label facing forward, in the same order as indicated in your diagram.

6 Setting up the Growth hamber Now that you have your radishes planted, you can set up your growth chamber. To set up the chamber: 1. Place the chamber in the desired location.. Place the watering pan with the planters inside in the growth chamber with the labels facing forward.. Set up the lighting according to your selected growth chamber: a. For MicroLada chambers: Use a LED ~15W (75W equivalent) daylight floodlight bulb and keep the light 15 to 0 cm (6 to 8 in) above the case. Ensure the light beam shines from above the chamber, directly through the plants. The LED vents heat around the outside of the bulb and should not have a light shade or any type of lamp housing around the bulb. b. For student-built growth chambers: Use a LED ~15W (75W equivalent) daylight floodlight bulb. The light should be far enough above the case to provide uniform light intensity across the full growing area and centered to the growing area. The LED light vents heat around the outside of the bulb and should NOT have a light reflector or any type of lamp housing around the bulb. Ensure that the bulb does NOT touch the sides of the cardboard case, as the bulb generates heat.. Set the electric timer to have the lights on 16 hours a day, every day of the experiment. This will keep the lighting consistent for the start and stop time each day, including weekends. 5. Water the plants immediately after setting up by gently adding water to the top of the planter to saturate the media around the seeds. e careful in this step to not wash the media away or expose the seeds. Next, fill the watering pan to near the top of the pan. The medium will absorb the water from the bottom. Initially, the soil medium will absorb more water. The goal is to have the water soak into the medium for the radish seeds to begin growth. So, during the next hours, continue to add water to keep the medium wet and damp to the touch. Measure the water so you know how much you initially used and record it in your data log. NOTE: If the pan goes dry for a day over the weekend, there is sufficient moisture in the plant support media that it will not affect the plant growth cm Fill the Pan PLNT MINTENNE Plant are To maintain the health of your plants: 1. Water: fter the initial watering after planting, as the water in the watering pan decreases of about 0.6 cm (0.5 in), refill the pan. The watering requirements will vary depending on the region in which you live; so adjust accordingly. If the level of wetness at the top of the seed area is soggy you can allow the watering pan to remain dry for a day to allow the media to dry a little.. Light: Ensure the plants have 16 hours of light every day of the experiment. Rotate the plants within the watering pan in a clockwise rotation so that each plant receives a few days of illumination in each position in the chamber. This needs to be performed every in - days to ensure that the plants get equal distribution of the light gradient. Track this movement in your log. Thinning the Plants 1. When the plants are cm (1- in) tall (should be about days after planting), it is time to thin the plants. This means that each team will evaluate the plants in each planter and identify the largest and the smallest plants. Gently remove the smallest and largest plants from both the land-based and space-based planters. Take care to disturb the remaining plant as little as possible. The remaining single plant in each planter will continue growing until the end of the experiment. When you thin the plants, you must follow the instructions for recording plant thinning that appear later in the guide. Mark on your diagram whether plant 1,, or will continue to grow in each planter.

7 REORDING ND REPORTING FINDINGS Educators need to guide students to record the results using the provided data log and send a data report to SDL. Reporting Templates and Tools fter planting the seeds according to directions, student teams will observe the plants and log information every other day (at least times weekly) using the data sheet located in the ppendix. Required Measurements For SDL to be able to effectively compare the land and space seed groups, each team must record the required measurements listed below. These measurements should be taken at least three times a week and recorded in your plant log using the Metric system. Record data and keep simple health notes for each seed. If there are adjustments that need to be made due to temperature or watering, record the reasons for those decisions in the notes. Skipping data collection for weekends is acceptable, just make a note of that decision and check and water needs before leaving and upon returning from the weekend. Record the following data at least three times a week: 1. How many days from planting until the first sprout appears?. What is the growth measured in centimeters? Record the dates measured. (ecause seeds grow rapidly in the first couple weeks, taking pictures and measuring every day or every other day is rewarding.). How many leaves are on each plant?. What is the color of the leaves? (Indicate whether dark green, light green, yellow green, yellow, red, brown, or other. The color of the leaves indicates plant health.) During Harvest, also record the following: (see Radish Harvest Protocol, on page 1, for more information) 1. What is the size of the radishes at harvest in centimeters? (Note if radishes grow or not). What is the weight of the radishes at harvest? (Note if radishes grow or not). What is the texture of the radish? (olor, hardness, etc.). Note any other parameters of interest. Students can form hypotheses and create experiments to test other aspects of plant growth beyond those listed above. If you add variables, add them to the standardized variables included on the spreadsheet. Recording Hypotheses It is encouraged, but not required, to have students keep a science notebook with individual student hypotheses and observational comments and drawings. efore, during, or soon after planting is a good time to ask students to log their hypotheses about the similarities and differences of growth outcomes for the space vs. land seeds. Possible prompt questions include: 1) which plant will have the first sprout ) Will one type of plant grow faster than the other and why, and ) How will the harvested radishes compare with each other in terms of (number, size, and presence of radishes)? This information should be recorded in the data logs. Recording Plant Thinning 1. fter 15 to17 days (when most plants are cm), you need to thin the plants.. s you thin the plants, place an X on the data log sheet in the column for the largest and smallest plants on the day after thinning (for example, if the team thinned/removed two plants on Day 17, mark an X in day 18 for each of those plants and do not continue collecting data). ontinue recording data for the remaining plants until the end of the experiment. Reporting Findings to SDL 1. t the end of the experiment, write down your final notes.. Enter the data from all of your reporting sheets into an electronic spreadsheet, such as Microsoft Excel. The spreadsheet templates are available electronically and can be obtained by ing krista.gurko@usu.edu.. Submit your finalized spreadsheets to SDL at outreach@sdl.usu.edu. We appreciate you sharing your findings with SDL and USU STRS! GER UP. 5

8 PPENDIX UILDING PLNT GROWTH HMER Designing and building the Plant Growth hamber will provide experiential learning and critical thinking opportunities for the students involved. Educators leading these experiments should guide students to consider all aspects of the design before beginning construction on their Plant Growth hamber including: requirements of the experiment, classroom environment, durability, cost, materials, and possibly visual appeal. s students design and build their chamber, they will be able to creatively apply their abilities in math, geometry, and art. Two growth chamber designs are included here as examples: Option, the Rocket Design, is more complex and Option, the Rectangular ox, is very simple. Previous teams have had success with both designs. Each team should choose Option or Option according to the goals of the educator and student team, and the time available to build a growth chamber before the planting date. Option presents students with a variety of engineering and math challenges beyond Option. oth designs are functional as plant growth chambers. oth chambers were built at the least possible cost. 6

9 GROWTH HMER OPTION. ROKET DESIGN Materials Needed: Gather the following materials before beginning: 1. Enough cardboard for the selected design. luminum foil. Six 0.5 l (16 oz) plastic soda or water bottles (or similar, for planters). Glue 5. Duct tape 6. utting knife 7. Ruler with centimeter (cm) measurement 8. Paint and brushes for decoration (optional) uilding the Rocket hamber 1. Using the instructions provided, measure and draw the pattern on cardboard.. ut the pattern out of the cardboard. This includes all of the pieces for the base, fuel tank, and nose cone.. Line the inside of the cardboard with foil (shiny side out) using glue or tape to hold it into place.. Fold the cardboard into shape, tape and/or hot glue the pieces together as required for each of the following parts. - Nose cone - ase - Fuel Tank 5. ut two 1.5 cm x 5 cm (1 in x in) holes on the sides of the base and on the top of the nose cone for ventilation. Obtaining a Watering Pan Purchase or find a x cm (9 x 9 in) foil pan or similar to use as the watering pan. uilding the Planters To build the planters: 1. ut six small 0.5 l (16 oz) soda or water bottles in half, approximately 0 cm ( in) from the bottom. The bottom half will be used as our plant containers.. Drill four small holes, 0. cm (0.15 in) diameter each, in the bottom of each container. NOSE ONE () SE () FUEL TNK () Inside the rocket growth chamber looking at the fuel tank. For our tests, we used soda bottle containers for the plants with a tin tray for watering. 7

10 OPTION - ROKET DESIGN ut List NOSE ONE () SE () Nose one - Light affle () Qty - 1 ase - Top Ring () Qty cm (5.5 in) 7.9 cm (11 in) 11. cm (.5 in) 8.1 cm (15 in) cm (1 in) 11. cm (.5 in) Ventilation holes on top of rocket and bottom sides Nose one - Sides () Qty cm (.5 in) y 5. cm (10 in) 15. cm (6 in) ase - Sides () Qty cm (6.5 in) 0. cm (1 in) 15.8 cm (6.5 in) x x ase () Qty cm (15 in) 15.8 cm (6.5 in) 8

11 OPTION - ROKET DESIGN (continued) ut List FUEL TNK () Fuel tank - Top () Qty - 1 Fuel tank - Side () The plants rest on top of this. Qty cm (11 in) utting out the cardboard. 5. cm (10 in) TOP ll the parts - Ready to assemble. TOP 87.6 cm (.5 in) Gluing and painting 9

12 GROWTH HMER OPTION. RETNGULR OX DESIGN This chamber design uses a cardboard box and aluminum foil. over the inside of the box with foil using glue or tape. Luminosity, the amount of light that is reflected off the foil, is particularly important to ensure that the plants are healthy enough to produce radishes. Materials Needed: Gather the following materials before beginning: 1. Enough cardboard for the selected design. luminum foil. Six 0.5 l (16 oz) plastic soda or water bottles (or similar, for planters). Glue 5. Duct tape 6. utting knife 7. Ruler with centimeter (cm) measurement 8. Paint and brushes for decoration (optional) 9. container to use as a watering pan that will hold water and six ½ liter soda bottles uilding the Rectangle ox hamber 1. Using the designs provided, measure and draw the pattern on the cardboard.. ut the pattern out of the cardboard.. Line the inside of the cardboard with foil (shiny side out) using glue or tape to hold it into place.. Fold the cardboard into shape and glue and/or tape the pieces together as required. 5. ttach the door using duct tape as a hinge. 6. ut two 1.5 cm x 5 cm (1 in x in) holes on the sides of the base for ventilation. Obtaining a Watering Pan Purchase or find a x cm (9 x 6.5 in) foil pan or similar to use as the watering pan. uilding the Planters To build the planters: 1. ut 6 small 0.5 l (16 oz) soda or water bottles in half: approximately 0 cm ( in) from the bottom. The bottom portion will be used as our, planters.. Drill four small holes, 0. cm (0.15 in) diameter each, in the bottom of each container. 10

13 OPTION. RETNGULR OX DESIGN (continued) Top - Light affle & Ventilation Qty cm (9.5 in) 11. cm (.5 in) ase Qty cm (9.5 in).1 cm (9.5 in) Sides (Includes Door) Qty -.1 cm (9.5 in.) 8.1 cm (15 in.) ut two 1.5 cm x 5 cm (1 in x in) ventilation holes above the height of the watering tray 11

14 RDISH HRVEST PROTOOL e sure to always have land and space specimens separated. Follow each step for both land- and space-based planters. 1. Measure the height of the tallest plants (space-based and landbased) and note the heights on your data log and diagram. Land ased (L) 1. Height of Tallest Plant 5. Number of Specimen Space ased (S) PHYSIL REMOVL. Gently remove plants from medium, keeping track of which plants are S-, S-, or S-, or L-, L-, or L-. Your data log and diagram will show where each plant was in its planter.. Gently rinse excess soil from bulb and roots, avoiding damage to the roots. 6. Size - Leaf to Tap root DOUMENTTION. Keeping space-based and land-based samples separate, take photos, labeling each group as follows: ) Group of space-based radishes (S) ) Group of land-based radishes (L) ) Space- and land-based radishes together (S and L) 5. Record the number of radishes in each group. 6. Measure sample lengths from tallest leaf to the tip of the tap roots. 7. Weigh unmodified samples. ) Weigh each individual radish ) Weigh and record total for group 8. ut the tops (greenery) from the bottoms (radish). ) Weigh and record the total greenery ) Weigh and record individual radishes ) The total weight of all radishes in each of the three groups (S only; L only; both S and L) 9. Enter additional notes about the radishes in terms of hardness, color, shape, etc. (onus!) 10. Set an oven to 60º (10º F); dehydrate greenery groups and radish bodies for a minimum of hours. e careful not to burn them. ) Weigh the three groups (S only; L only; both S and L) to compare with each other and with the weights of the fresh (non-dried) radishes and greens 7. Weight (Unmodified) Total Weight (Unmodified) 9. Notes 8. Weight (Greenery/Leaves) 8. Weight (ut Radishes) 8. Total Weight (ut Radishes) long with data logs, please share pictures of plants and diagrams with SDL to provide a complete story of the experience and to help ensure similar terms across sites. Thank you for all your work with this project! We hoped you enjoyed the experience and learned a lot. Please remember to share your findings so we can continue working together and learning from each other. (ONUS) 10. Dried Weight D 1

15 Light Type Wattage Hours On Total Duation/day Date Water mount (ml) Time of Day Space ased (S-) Space ased (S-) Space ased (S-) Land ased (L-) Land ased (L-) Land ased (L-) - Height - Height - Height - Height - Height - Height Name of recorder Sharing Data - Thank you for all your work with this project! We hoped you enjoyed the experience and learned a lot. Please remember to share your findings so we can continue working together and learning from each other. Website: 1

16 osmonaut Maxim Suraev showing his affection for the Mizua and Wheat crop grown on International Space Station in the fall of 009. This photo was taken in December 009 just prior to the final harvest. Image courtesy of NS - image # iss0e0158 1